Bitten
by rhyejess
Summary: Remus has bitten a baby girl, and now Sirius and Remus must adopt her.
1. Chapter 1

"What do you mean, 'bitten'?" Sirius Black's grey eyes were large as he stared at his boyfriend and the wiggling bundle that Remus Lupin carried.

"You know what I mean," Remus added quietly.

"And now we're taking in strays?"

Remus shot Sirius a venomous glare, but his voice was soft and almost soothing when he answered, "We _are_ strays, if you didn't notice."

"We haven't the luxury of raising a child. There's a war on-"

"James and Lily are doing it-"

"But their child hasn't got some horrible disease-"

Remus spun, hissing below his breath. "What would you have me do? Leave her on the streets? Kill her? Is that what you would like?"

Sirius' mouth fell open. "No, I-"

"There's no orphanage for Dark fucking Creatures, Sirius, in case you haven't noticed. If she hasn't got parents, the Ministry would be only too pleased to _dispose_ of her. Handing her over to Fenrir might be the better fate."

"Fenrir's a Death Eater," Sirius snarled.

"And he at least can keep children alive."

The two stared down each other for a moment, before Sirius' eyes grew wide once more. "Did Fenrir bite her? Who bit her?"

But Sirius didn't need to hear the words to know the answer. It was apparent immediately on Remus' face: shame, fear of rejection, a sliver of defiance-

"Remus," Sirius gasped, "Oh God, I should have been there-"

"She's a Muggle _baby_, Sirius." Remus' lip quivered and he drew himself more upright. "I wish I had lost control. I wish I had killed her."

"No," Sirius shook his head. "No, I'm so sorry. Shit, I should have been there-"

"You had Order business, James had Order business..."

"Pete said he would make it."

"Let's face it, he couldn't have stopped me if he _had_ made it, but God knows where Peter gets to these days."

"What- What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed? He's hardly comes to Order meetings."

"He's always there when I am."

"And never there when you're not," Remus added. The baby kicked and made a squealing noise within the nest of blankets.

"Shit," Sirius sighed. "Gods, I'm an arse. Is there any way you'll let me take back all the things I said just now?" Sirius ran a tender hand through the soft brown hair on the side of Remus' face, watching Remus' expressions once again play through shame and defiance, shame and defiance. Then, the lycanthrope's nose wrinkled. He leaned closer to the baby and made a truly disgusted face before turning to Sirius with a nod.

"There is something you could do, actually, Padfoot."

"Anything. _Anything_."

Remus passed over the squirming bundle. "She needs a nappie change."

"We haven't got any nappies," Sirius balked.

"You said anything."

Sirius sighed and groaned. "Are we going to be keeping her. Like, really? Raising a child, Remus. Think about it for a minute."

"I haven't the time to think about it," Remus said, watching Sirius jostle the baby girl with the practice of a doting godfather. "I made her- what she is. I as good as fathered her. I haven't much choice now. _I'm_ taking her. If you... if it's not... if this is not something you want in your life right now, I _do_ understand-"

Sirius stopped slowly juggling the child to stare at Remus. "Are you saying- What are you saying?"

"I've only made this decision for me. You are free to make your own decisions."

Sirius shook his head, horrified. "No. If it's a package deal, I'm in."

"You ought to think about this, Sirius. You have that luxury."

"I haven't," Sirius shrugged, then repeated, more firmly this time, "I haven't." He stared down into the swaddled white blankets. "So..."

"So," Remus shifted his weight a bit, uncomfortable.

Sirius, though, when he looked up again, was grinning. "We have a baby girl? A baby?" He laughed, giddy.

Remus pursed his lips together, but he couldn't help but smile in the face of Sirius' joy.

"Muggle?" Sirius asked again.

Remus nodded, lips still pursed.

"She's perfect," Sirius beamed down at her again. He laughed throatily. "She won't even be using magic, then? Not at all?"

Remus shook his head. "I suppose we'll have to raise her a bit like a squib?"

Sirius grinned. "We're going to raise her a bit like someone my mum can never get her nasty paws on." Sirius leaned forward and kissed his boyfriend tenderly, and Remus responded in kind, their bodies wrapping instinctively around the small child between them. "Thank you, Moony. She's perfect. She's a perfect little Muggle baby and she's going to be a famous musician, or- or Prime Minister of the Muggles, or an astronaut!"

"Well, she's not quite a Muggle, you understand. She's a werewolf, now."

"Yeah," Sirius nodded, thoughtful. "I guess that could be awkward on a trip to the Moon. So maybe not an astronaut?"

Remus laughed. Sirius' enthusiasm was infectious.

"A drummer!" Sirius exclaimed, pulling back the blanket a bit. The little girl, tufted blonde hair and green eyes screwed up in sleep, was waving her arms about in her dreams. "She needs a drum set," Sirius reaffirmed.

"She _needs_ a clean nappie," Remus poked Sirius on the arm.

"Right. And you know who has a baby and nappies and advice and who needs to know about this?"

"Shall we Floo to James and Lils', then?" Remus asked.

"Yes, to James and Lils!"

*****

The bottle of wine made a second circuit around the living room. "Wow," James breathed again. "Yeah," Lily echoed.

They hadn't said much other than that all evening, other than, of course, getting Remus and Sirius set up with some baby stuff with promises to do better come weekend, when they could all go to Diagon together. Now that both babies were sound asleep in another room with all sorts of alarms and caterwauling charms cast on them, their parents were able to sit and absorb the change in the situation.

"Listen," Remus leaned forward, lines creasing his face. He seemed, to Sirius' eyes, to be growing older by the minute. "I..." He choked up, cleared his throat, and started again. "I know I've done something- unforgivable."

"No, Remus. No," Lily interjected.

"But I appreciate you both helping us. I appreciate you, too, Sirius, taking this as easily as you- I-" His throat clogged again and he gulped wine. "I'm so sorry," he finished, stamping a hand over his eyes. "I'm so... ashamed of myself." He was clearly crying, and the other three friends exchanged concerned glances.

"No," Lily sighed again.

Sirius stood, putting a hand on Remus' shoulder. "I think it's been a long day for us."

"And emotional one, too, I'd bet," James muttered, looking crestfallen.

"We'll just be collecting our things- thanks so much for all this loaner baby stuff- and the little girl-"

"Daughter," Lily breathed, sounding as if the word shocked her as much as anyone.

"Yeah, her," Sirius frowned. "We'll see you soon. This weekend. Diagon will be great."

Lily shook her head and stood, and James followed suit. Remus stayed slumped in his chair, hand covering his face, making uncomfortable sniffling noises into his palm.

"I'll come by tomorrow," Lily offered.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Sirius whispered.

"Oh. Alright," she nodded. "You guys... I love you both so much." She threw thin, pale arms around Remus, and his sniffles turned swiftly into barely-veiled sobs. "I love you, Remus. We all love you. So much. She's a lucky little girl. She could have fallen into much worse hands. We'll do this together. All together, okay." She pried his hand from his face, and he swiped once last time at red-rimmed eyes.

"Sorry," Remus whispered.

"You should be sorry," she pouted, "you finished our last bottle of my favourite wine."

Remus laughed half-heartedly, all the friends exchanged hugs, and Remus and Sirius returned home with the- with their daughter. There was a lot left to overcome, many things to do, but the first few were done. They'd get through it all somehow.


	2. Chapter 2

Sirius was nearly as fussy as the baby. "She's been crying ever since you brought her home. Is she... is this some sort of... transition?"

Remus glared at Sirius over the squalling baby's tiny shoulder. "Excuse me?"

"To a werewolf, I mean."

"What have you been reading?"

"Nothing!" Sirius flapped his arms.

"She's crying because she is a _baby_ and _babies cry_, Sirius."

"Harry doesn't cry this much."

"Yes, well, Harry hasn't been taken from his family and dropped in with some strangers-"

"So this _is_ a werewolf thing!" Sirius spun and pointed at Remus.

"You are a moron," Remus replied quietly, "But I'm not going to fight with you while Elise in the room."

"Elise?" Sirius's face seemed to fall.

"It's her name."

"How do you know?"

"I know," Remus answered.

Sirius turned and left.

It was the first of a series of arguments. Sirius could tell that Remus was stressed, on edge. He wouldn't tell Sirius where the name "Elise" had come from, wouldn't let Sirius change a diaper, wouldn't let Sirius do much of _anything_. Elise was crying _all the time_, and Remus was the one up all hours with _Mother Mabell's Magic for New Mums_, trying to brew a proper formula, though they both knew Remus had never been any good at potions. Sirius, unable to do much besides worry and pace, peered carefully out from behind door frames lest Remus yell at him, got no rest either.

Finally, Sirius decided to discharge the coming explosion. He couldn't take it any more. Regardless of why Remus thought Elise was upset, Remus-brewed formula simply could not be helping.

Sirius got up at one in the morning, just after Remus had fallen asleep, but before the baby started her nightly screaming ritual. He went to the kitchen and pulled down a cauldron, then opened a cupboard. The proper ingredients were all here, at least. Sirius opened the book to the proper page and began adding ingredients, one-by-one, over an open flame. When Elise began screaming, almost like clockwork at two in the morning, Remus came crashing in, cursing and grumbling. He was too sleepy to even snap at Sirius when Sirius handed Remus a glass bottle, begged from James and Lils, filled with warm white potion. When Remus pushed the nipple into Elise's mouth, the baby settled down immediately.

"What did you put in this?" Remus, suddenly awake, snapped at Sirius.

"Oh," Sirius flipped back to the proper page, "Water, of course, mooncalf milk, dragon's milk whey, coconut oil- all the stuff in your book. Dragon's milk whey must have been a pretty penny, eh?"

"Yeah," Remus answered blandly.

Siruis laughed. "It'd be cheaper just to pay Lily to breastfeed."

Remus even cracked a smile at that, but what he said was, "Thanks for making the milk." All the energy to fight seemed to have left him.

'Remus," Sirius hedged, "You aren't trying to do this all on your own, are you?" Sirius, of course, already knew the answer. "Because, right now, I'm feeling left out of my own family. I'd prefer to make milk potions before bedtime, but if I have to sneak around in the middle of the night to do it, I'll do that too."

"She's my responsibility," Remus mumbled.

"For Merlin's sake," Sirius sighed, "I _want_ to help. How come we _never_ do what I want?" Sirius purposely made his voice sound whinging, everyone accused him of being a whinging brat anyway, and he rather enjoyed playing it up. Made the insults powerful, anyway.

"We always do what you want," Remus answered, but that peculiar quirk was back in his lip that meant he just might be returning to a good humour.

"Then how come this time we can't _also_ do what I want?" Sirius blinked in an over-demonstrative and over-the-top fashion, pleading, trying to bat his lashes and to puppy-dog-eyes simultaneously.

Remus outright laughed, and then he shifted Elise over to Sirius. Sirius smiled briefly, but Remus was quick. "You want to take care of her? She needs her nappie changed."

"But, I meant-"

"Goodnight, I'm going back to bed."

"I have to work tomorrow. _Remus_!"

Remus waved behind himself as he headed towards the bedroom. "This was what you wanted, Sirius. Also, don't forget to burp her when she finishes the bottle."

"_Mooooony_."

"_Padfooooot_," Remus mocked from the bedroom, and then the bedroom light blinked out.

"Shit," Sirius muttered.

"Don't curse at her," a voice answered from the bedroom.

"_Fucking shit_," Sirius said louder, but no one rescued him from the odious tasks at hand. "How come," he addressed Elise, "I always get teh _honour_ of paternal responsibilities when you need a nappie change?"

"Burbabooo," Elise answered, green eyes gazing up at him in something akin to wonder.

"Yeah, I think so too."


	3. Chapter 3

It was Friday night, and they would be shopping tomorrow with Lily and James. The soft waning gibbous moon shone through the window when Sirius broke the silence to say, "We need to tell Dumbledore."

Remus didn't respond, and Sirius could easily guess what Remus was thinking. Surely Remus wanted to keep this information to as few people as possible. After all, if more people knew, then more people could possibly judge him. Remus considered his 'crime' unforgivable, but so far no one else had agreed with him. For Sirius, it was much harder not to blame himself. Dumbledore of course didn't know that Sirius was an animagus, but he still should have made more of an effort to be there with Remus on the full moon. This wouldn't have happened if he had. Accidents did happen, though, and you couldn't turn back time...

Or could you? Sirius knew about Time Turners, of course, though he had never seen one in person. If he could secure one, he could undo this entire mess somehow. For one tempting moment, Sirius considered doing just such a thing. Then he remembered the beautiful little girl he had rocked gently to sleep. Some accidents were perhaps meant to happen.

Breaking the silence once again, Sirius drummed up his courage to ask the question that had been on his mind all week. "Remus, what happened to her parents?"

Remus cleared his throat, and with a cold and tense voice, Remus answered, "I killed them."

Sirius made an 'Oh' with his mouth, glad that Remus couldn't see his face in the moonlit room. Sirius wanted to hear the entire story sometimes, but perhaps now was not the-

Surprisingly, though, Remus kept speaking. Eventually, the tale came out:

_Remus awoke in pain as usual, confused as to where he was. He first noticed the dawn sky overhead, then he turned over- and what he saw made his blood run cold. The first part to enter his vision was a woman's foot, severed entirely from its body. Just a couple feet away lay the woman's body. Next to her was a man. His head seemed mostly severed as well, and enormous gash marks tore his shirt and flesh from shoulder to waist. Remus's next realization was that of the taste in his mouth: unmistakeably blood. First, at the realization that he had committed this atrocity, a blinding surge of adrenaline flooded his body. Second, he sat up and vomited into the soft dew-covered grass._

_The sound must have roused her. Suddenly, the woman's breathing was audible, gasping. "Help, help," she whispered with an unnatural gurgle to her voice. "Is someone there? Help."_

_Remus crawled over to her side. Her eyes were glazed over and unseeing, but her hand reached up to grasp for Remus. He put his own hand out and she wrapped hers around it. "It attacked," she whispered. "Some kind of wolf. I can't feel my legs." Remus looked down at the severed foot from which she had lost quite a lot of blood and thanked anyone who might be listening that she couldn't feel that._

_"It's ok," Remus said softly. "I'll find you help." He could, of course, but he doubted she would be alive long enough for anyone to help her._

_Apparently she had come to the same conclusion. "Not me-" she gurgled again, blood rising from her mouth. "Elise. It bit Elise." The woman started crying from her sightless eyes._

_Remus looked at the dead man next to her. He was clearly not 'Elise'. "Who-" he asked, his voice rising a bit._

_The answer made his blood run cold. Without waiting for her mother's answer, a crying emanated from under a nearby bush._

_"She's alive," the mother gasped, relieved. The gasp seemed to use up the last of her precious air supply. She began to cough and sputter blood. Remus had to guess she had a punctured lung as well as the severed foot. How long had she lain here, losing blood, breathing blood, waiting for the baby's cry?_

_Her sightless eyes seemed to stare towards Remus. "She's alive..." the woman whispered. Then, she exhaled her last and the pale head dropped back to the ground. Remus felt for a pulse, but there was none. If he had had his wand, he could have used it to revive the woman, but he had left it- and his clothes, in the small shed he had thought would contain him. How silly it seemed now that the shed had had any hope of preventing this tragedy._

_Remus's eyes shifted to the bush. He crawled to it, moving aside the greenery. Underneath was a baby. Elise lay in a yellow blanket. He moved it out of the way, ignoring her screaming, to investigate the wounds. Remus had almost been hoping to rock the poor creature as she died, but it was evident now that would not happen. She had a superficial bite mark on her leg- just deep enough to break the skin and cause bleeding, but clearly it was more bruise than bite. Still, a bite was what it was._

_A werewolf bite._

_Remus didn't realize he was crying until the tears began to fall onto the baby. He picked her up, re-wrapping her in her blanket. The blood from his own body stained the yellow fabric- the girl's parents' blood. Her parents had doubtless saved her from worse injuries, at the cost of their own lives. Quietly and stiffly, Remus stood and began to walk back to the shed. He hadn't any real idea of where it was in relation to himself, and it was hours before he did find it, but the walking seemed to ease the baby and so he was happy to keep walking._

"You know the rest," Remus added softly. "I got dressed. I came here."

Sirius answered, "I saw the bite when I changed her. It looked so- so mild, Remus."

"'Tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but 'tis enough,'twill serve," Remus whispered.

"Huh?" Sirius asked, confused.

"Never mind. Go to sleep. We've got a long day tomorrow."

Sirius lay back in bed, but he did not go to sleep for a long while. One thought echoed in his head. Remus, for all of his insecurities and faults, was one of the bravest people he knew. If Sirius had woken up realizing he'd killed two people so gruesomely, he was sure he would have lost his sanity. He knew he wouldn't have been able to go on with life as gracefully as Remus had managed.

Sirius wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "Remus, I love you," he whispered.

Remus answered only, "If you didn't, you wouldn't still be here."

Sirius wanted to claim that it was a lie, that he would never leave Remus over such a thing as this, but he knew it wasn't true. If Remus had been someone else, this 'accident' would have been impossible to forgive. But forgiving Remus was somehow the easiest thing in the world.


End file.
